From W. E. Darwin [24 April 1881]1
Abinger Hall, | Dorking. | (Gomshall S.E.R. | Station & telegraph.)
Sunday
My dear Father,
On the open expanses of the Malvern hills there was not a trace of the parallel paths.2 At one or two spots where donkey paths had been cut in the side of the hills on the steep part just above the path where the earth would tend to crumble down there were one or two ragged step like ridges, but they do not deserve the name of paths, & would often be caused by walking; of course it had been extremely dry for several weeks before we went to Malvern, & was dry almost the whole visit, so that castings would have not been washed away, so that I can safely say there is an almost entire absence or very great rarity of castings on the sides of the hills; there were some few on lower edges of the donkey paths where earth had accumulated, and below the paths where the grass was greener, also here & there on fairly level spots not high up. On the West as soon as you get off the syenite onto the Ludlow formation I found enormous quantities of castings evidently the collection of many weeks.3 On the Malvern hills the sheep seem to feed just as often, and perhaps rather oftener, ascending the hills than going across the slopes. So much for worms, and I doubt if it is worth boring you with it. I am much better, and we are both enjoying our visit.4 Effie is most pleasant in every way, and the Palgraves, and Hawkshaws I am glad to meet, also to have had a sight of Horace & Ida; I believe things went quite smoothly.5 I go to Southton tomorrow.6 I am so glad you did nothing but crush that lying venemous toad with the blue book.7
Goodbye dear Father | your affect. WED
Sara is well and enjoying this lovely place & we have fine weather. We were much overcome at the honour of being asked.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.
Frankel, Oz. 2004. Blue books and the Victorian reader. Victorian Studies 46: 308–18.
Murchison, Roderick Impey. 1867. Siluria: a history of the oldest rocks in the British Isles and other countries; with sketches of the origin and distribution of native gold, the general succession of geological formations, and changes of the earth’s surface. 4th edition including ‘The Silurian system’. London: John Murray.
Report of the Royal Commission on vivisection: Report of the Royal Commission on the practice of subjecting live animals to experiments for scientific purposes; with minutes of evidence and appendix; 1876 (C.1397, C.1397-1) XLI.277, 689. House of Commons Parliamentary Papers.
Summary
Sends observations of wormcasts at Malvern. Describes stay at Abinger.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13141G
- From
- William Erasmus Darwin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Abinger Hall, Dorking
- Source of text
- Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 102)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13141G,” accessed on 14 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13141G.xml